


Sterling Silver and Mirrors

by Starlight1395



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, Oneshot, Prucan pairing, Vampire AU, based off a tumblr post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-14 23:00:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7194359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mathew made Gilbert promise him never to hurt another human again. One day, he accidentally kills a man. Mathew is furious, and Gilbert relives how he met the mild human for the first time. In an attempt to win back the affections of his love, Gilbert takes Mattie to the local fair, where things don't go the way the vampire planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sterling Silver and Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> Just a cute little oneshot I wrote a while back about my OTP. While it wasn't too popular on Fanfiction, this will probably always be one of my favorite stories.

"No! I'm tired of this! You promised me no more killing." Mathew stood by the kitchen table, fuming. He was wringing a dish towel in his hands to keep himself from throwing himself at the man in front of him. His boyfriend Gilbert slouched in the doorframe looking remorseful.

"But Mattie! It was an accident I swear! Please believe me! I even bandaged the wound and everything! I took him to the hospital!" The front of his green flannel was drenched in red liquid and the hem ripped, a reminder of his earlier activities.

"No! I-I can't believe you did this again! You promised if I went out with you, there would be no more killing. I'm so mad. No... I'm absolutely FURIOUS." The usually calm Blonde was bright pink, tears of betrayal streaming down his face. His chest felt like it had been ripped in two by Gilbert. Again.

"Mattie... I'm so sorry..." Gil was pleading, but he could tell it was no use. His boyfriend had always been the calm one, other than the first time he killed. But this time was different. His partner was absolutely livid.

"You know what? Just save it Gil. Don't... Don't talk to be for a while. I need to be alone right now." Mattie threw the towel at the pale man's feet and flew out of the room, slamming ever door in the way.

Gil ran his hand through his already jostled hair. He tried so damn hard to keep that guy alive. He knocked the guy out cleanly, made an incision in his wrist so as not to leave an obvious scar. How was he to know his victim's main blood vessels were that close to the surface?

It was literally an impossible fluke that this dude died. Gil didn't even drink enough to satisfy his hunger before he realized he went too deep. He desperately tried to stop the bleeding. Ripped up the shirt Mattie gave him for Christmas to bind the wound. He rushed the man to the nearest hospital and dropped him at the ER, unseen.

It only took ten minutes for him to bleed out in the ICU. Gil was horrified. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. Almost two years he kept his promise to Matthew and this was just an accident.

He was Gilbert the Fearsome! For three thousand years he roamed the earth raining terror onto the earth. Every step he took sent peasants running in fear. They left him offering every third month to sate his thirst. Then he met him.

It was only two and a half years ago. Within the past century or so, Gil had to be more conservative with who he slaughtered. That night he was just looking for a snack. He ha fed less than a week ago. He was bored really.

A stray kitten crossed his field of view, and he locked onto the hunt. The white locked monster crept through the shadows, never letting his blonde beauty escape his grasp. Suddenly, as soon as the coast was clear, he pounced.

The man didn't struggle. He went stuff as a board, not an uncommon reaction. The only sound his victim made was a small gasp.

"I know you!"

Now that was an uncommon reaction.

Startled, Gilbert dropped the small man child and took a step back. The person in front of him leveled his glasses and blinked at him.

"I've seen you hanging around the park the past few weeks. You even bought 'Twilight' the other day at my shop because you said you needed a good laugh."

Gilbert just blinked back at him. He had a vague recollection of a short man behind the counter, and a distinct memory of how awful that book was.

"I'm Matthew. I didn't get the chance to talk to you last time due to the fact you kind of r-ran out." He trickled off with a nervous laugh.

Gilbert grinned maliciously, enjoying this hunt all the more now.

"Und I am Gilbert the Fearsome. I thank you for the pleasantries, but it seems to be time for me to kill you now!" A pink tongue darted over pale lips and sharp fangs.

"Well Gil, kill me if you'd like but I doubt I'd make much of a meal. I'm very scrawny for my age."

Gilbert gave the human a once over. He was plenty meaty enough for a good meal, but his reaction intrigued the age old vampire.

He took a step back and offered the human in front of him a hand.

"Well, well, well. How about we have a little fun first?"

After that it went downhill for the ferocious monster. He went on dates to the movies and to the art museum. He helped this human in the book shop by stocking the high shelves. He found out how Matthew had always believed in the supernatural, and how he noticed that Gilbert didn't have a reflection in the mirror in the book shop, how acute this human was to the smallest details. He learned how to cook and dressed in button up shirts. Soon, he had to learn to take blood discreetly and safety, so keep his boyfriend happy.

And he couldn't have been happier about the changes. Because of this little kitten, he felt something other than bloodlust and anger. He owed this man for giving him a second chance.

And he ruined that chance.

When he snapped out of his panic attack about losing Mattie, Gil (he had never had a nickname before meeting Mathew) ripped the buttons off his shirt and threw it in the trash. Bare from the waist up, he worked on cleaning up the kitchen to hopefully lessen the blow when Mattie calmed down enough to talk to him again.

Up in his room, Mattie dug through his boxes left over from college that he never bothered to get rid of. Smirking in triumph, he pulled out a medium sized box. He was still furious, but this would teach him a lesson.

Clicking open the box, Mattie was greeted with the view of shiny silver treasure. He took all his piercings out before he even graduated college, but it was all sterling silver.

Sure it was painful, but it was worth a little blood. Seven in each ear, two in his left eyebrow. Snakebites and a tongue piercing. Silver chain choker and bracelets. And just to pour salt in the wound, he slipped on a baby doll tee that he had actually forgotten about.

He wouldn't forgive Gilbert anytime soon. And he would make sure the vampire wouldn't be able to come within five feet of him.

Taking a deep breath, Mathew steeled his nerves and left his room. He needed food even if Gil didn't.

And he had just the meal.

He walked down to the kitchen, head held high. He stopped short when he saw the room spotless, with a bouquet of yellow tulips on the counter. Damn that man. Those were his favorite flowers.

He rummaged through the fridge and realized he didn't have the right ingredients. Thankfully he could always call on his neighbor for favors like this.

Within five minutes, Mattie had gone over to Carlos' house and got the ingredients needed.

When Gil returned home, he automatically started gagging. His red eyes filled with tears and his throat began to burn. He rushed to the kitchen to get some water - because one thing he learned by living with Mattie was we could eat human food, it just wouldn't curb his need for blood - but came to a screeching halt.

Sitting at the table, poked through with enough metal to set off an alarm, eating pasta with... garlic bread!

"Welcome home Gilbert." Mattie said with a clipped tone, talking a large crunching bite of the bread. He couldn't help but feel a little bad, seeing the tears and the redness around his lover's eyes, but one thought of the dead, nameless man snapped him out of it.

Gil flinched a little at the use of his full name. Matthew only ever used it when they were in bed together or if he was very angry.

"Look Mattie... I'm so, so sorry. I-I went out and got your favorite flowers. I even paid for them for real this time. I didn't just take them." He would do anything just to have his sweet Mattie look at him again.

"Thanks." No I love you. No 'good job Gilly way to actually pay for something'. Just thanks.

"Um... I saw that the carnival is in town this weekend... And I remember how much fun we had last time it was here... And I was um... wondering if you would like to come with me?" He stood in the door frame, one hand covering his nose, the other awkwardly behind his back.

This was not going the way he had planned.

As he took the last bite of crust, Matthew wiped his mouth, being mindful of the still sore piercings there and gave a tight, cold smile.

"You know what? That's sounds fun. Let's go, shall we?" He stood up and brushed the invisible crumbs off his tight brown shirt.

"Does your shirt say...?"

"Team Jacob."

Gilbert gave the stubborn now-punk a hurt look and moved to out his arm around the shorter's shoulders, only to be burnt before coming within five inches.

"And the piercings are...?"

"Sterling. Silver." Without a glance back, Matthew grabbed his car keys and stalks out to the car.

He started it up and pulled out instantly, knowing Gil would materialize in the passenger seat like usual.

The vampire was quite when he made it into the car, trying to start up a conversation only to be shot down every time. He would not be forgiven easily it seems.

Closing his eyes, Gilbert prayed to whatever upper power may or may not exist that this date fixes this whole mess.

"Oh look Mattie! It's the Ring of Fire! Remember how you got sick and I popped the balloon of the little boy who laughed at you?" The immortal tried to lighten the mood, only to see his boyfriend was ignoring him behind a stick of cotton candy. Gilbert had grabbed a handful of napkins and shoved them in his pocket just in case. Mattie somehow always ended up making a mess with cotton candy

"A-and hey look! They brought back all the same fun houses as last time too! Remember how I got lost and you had to go through the whole maze again just to find me?" Out of the corner of his eye, Gilbert saw a small smile peek out from behind the pink fluff.

He couldn't help but let himself smile too, feeling his chest lighten more than a little.

"Let's go in this one." Mattie dropped the last of the cotton candy into the trash - it was the gross half dissolves stuff by this point - and walk straight into the nearest fun house.

Gil felt his whole being deflate. Of course he could pick the house of bloody mirrors. He looked around, contemplating if it was empty enough to go in after him without being caught, but of course tonight had to be the night the whole damn town went to the carnival.

He slumped down into the bench in front of the fun house and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After about twenty minutes he pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his long arms around his legs. Being immortal, he couldn't grow uncomfortable no matter how long he was sitting, but in the past two and a half years he learned that wrapped up is more comforting.

Though it's usually more comforting when it's Mattie holding him.

Blinking back tears, the vamp began to reflect on what he has become lately. A fearsome creature of the night, reduced to sniffling on a bench because a human was giving him the cold shoulder.

But it wasn't just any human. It was his Matthew. His soul mate. His other half. The other half that refused to acknowledge the first half is sorry and would do anything to apologize fully.

He placed his head on his knees and sobbed once, twice, letting the tears fall freely while no one could see.

A hand pat him on the leg and he jumped just about three feet in the air. Standing before him was a small child with insanity large eyebrows and a little blue cap.

"Excuse me sir. Did your husband leave you?" He asked, his big blue eyes pure and trusting. In his left hand was a cotton candy, in his right a big balloon in the shape of a tie dye heart.

"Nein. He's not mien husband. He's mien boyfriend. And we're having a bit of an argument right now." Gil gave the child a small smile, tying to show him everything was okay.

The child looked from the man on the bench to the fun house. He noticed the man the second he entered the fair ground. His father was gifted, and he managed to get some of his magic from the gene pool. Poor guy, the child thought, and he can't even go after his boyfriend. Mirrors and all that.

"There's no need to look so sad. Things will work out soon enough. You'll see!" The boy handed the stunned man his balloon and rushed off to tell father and papa about his run in with the friendly vampire.

Gil felt another tear leak from his maroon eye, watching the happy go lucky human child walk away, sans one heart shaped balloon.

He wiped it away with a now hopeful smile. Maybe things really will work out soon, he thought. He tied the balloon around the bench's arm rest so it wouldn't fly away, because he was going to give it to Mathew if- when he came out.

"AAAAHHHHH-" a cry came from the House of Mirrors, and it wasn't the cry of a child. It sounded a lot like an adult. More specifically-

"MATTIE!" Gilbert flew off the bench, quite literally. Invisible to the naked and/or untrained eye, he rushed across the way into the small building.

Mirrors have always been an issue for Gilbert. Legend has it, vampires don't have a reflection because they don't have a soul. Now, he's known for as long as he's craved blood that vampires don't have reflections because their cell make up is vastly different from that of a humans, and because of that the light spectrum coming off the mirror passes right through it.

And it's not the fact that he can't see himself (Gilbert was very narcissistic without a reflection). It was all those years contemplating if it really was because he didn't have a soul. He spent years just standing in front of a mirror, trying to believe he actually existed. That he was real.

Even in this century, even with Mattie, whenever he would catch a glimpse of what should have been himself in the empty glass, he would feel a twinge of fear. Fear that he was just a figment of his own imagination.

Disregarding his fear of mirrors, disregarding his fear of being exposed, Gilbert flew through the maze, only visible when he accidentally slammed into a wall.

Running his head after flying face first into his fifth wall, he smelt it.

Warm, sweet and delicious. Like a bun from the oven or a warm spring day after a harsh winter. Slowly he walked towards the source of the blood, fearing the worst.

Sitting on the bottom step of the stairs that lead to the upper level, was a human about the age of nineteen or so. The smell of alcohol was so strong on the boy, it was a surprise the ride conductor didn't stop him.

He had obviously fallen down the stairs, being as drunk as he was. His knee was cut and bleeding openly. The human was trying to stop the blood flow, was only succeeded in making a bigger mess.

Gilbert's pupils widened at the sight. Oh how easy this was. Prey brought to him on a silver platter. The familiar ache in his jaws alerted him to the fact his fangs were ready for the killing stroke. He moved in gracefully and soundlessly. He dropped down on the boy...

And began to apply pressure to the wound with a napkin. He kept his jaw firmly shut, willing his fangs to retract. He controlled his breathing enough and was able to slow his heart as he used yet another napkin to mop up the splashed crimson around the step.

"Can you stand?" He asked the boy, but it was obvious he could not. Not on his own at least. The now calm albino hoisted the human's arm over his shoulder and helped the injured man out of the play house.

As he exited, the ride conductor rushed over, demanding to know what happened. It wasn't the same guy from before. This guy actually cared about the safety of the guests here. Gil explained what happened and watched as they closed down the fun house in order to properly clean up the mess.

He meandered over to the bench again, please to find the balloon still tied to the armrest. A soft cough made him spin around.

Mattie stood there, looking partly apologetic and partly ashamed.

"I saw what you did in there. You thought that I was the one who got hurt, didn't you? And you risked being outed to save me... Then you helped that guy instead of feeding from him. You really didn't mean to kill that man... Oh god I'm so sorry Gil..." He began to cry, for being so stupid and selfish as not to see what was really happening right in front of him.

Strong arms wrapped around him, ceasing his cries. He fell into the embrace as he always does, burying his face into Gil's shoulder before remembering.

"GIL NO!" Pulling away, he noticed the smoke and red welt coming from where his face had touched the vampire's shoulder.

"It's fine. I barely feel a thing!" He was obviously lying, his teeth clenched in pain and his eyes watering again. Quickly, Mathew began taking out the metal rings and balls and spikes, hastily putting them in his pocket. Looking back to him, Mattie saw a balloon being handed to him. A big colorful heart shaped balloon. His own heart swelled at the sight.

"Gilly? Let's go on some rides. Together." Matthew took Gilbert's hand in his and steered him towards the tilt a whorl.

"Okay, but Mattie?" Gilbert paused and looked his boyfriend in the eyes, "the first one to puke has to make dinner for a whole week!"


End file.
